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The wind blew Bonnie’s hair back as she sat at the front of the boat, its pace moving steadily in the waves; she had to keep her hat steady so it wouldn’t fall. It’d grown in her time spent in the timeless world. She leaned her head back as she soaked in the last of the sun as it set, her toes wiggling in the flips flops she wore on her feet.
A sigh of content escaped Bonnie as she spotted the villas and island ahead of her. Bora Bora was all that she pictured it would be. All she had to do was reach it.
T hen she felt the hot breath against her neck and presence behind her. Her entire body tensed when a rough hand gripped her bicep.
Suddenly, the beautiful canvas that was Bora Bora began to melt away like candle wax. As it faded away, the image was replaced with the parlor of the Salvatore Boarding House. Bonnie sighed and spun around, glaring up at the culprit that took her mini-vacation away.
She pointed a finger at him as soon as he opened his mouth. “I asked for one hour, Kai,” she said vehemently.
Kai raised his hands up innocently, but the sly grin on his face was anything but innocent. “It’s been an hour, Bonster,” he replied. He then proceeded to shake a kitchen timer that he must have been hiding in his sleeve.
Bastard.
Her scowl must have deepened because Kai set the timer down and gave her a meaningful look. “You know, it could be longer than an hour if you just took me with you,” he said.
Bonnie shook her head. Just because she was stuck with the sociopath doesn’t mean she had to spend all of her time with him. That hour was her solitude during these snowy days. “Not going to happen,” she replied firmly.
Kai pouted. “Come on,” he whined. “You won’t spend Christmas with me, so at least let me see the sun!”
The brunette pointed towards the door. “Go see the sun. It’s right out there.”
He gave her a blank look in return. “You know what I mean.”
Sadly, she knew what he meant because that’s exactly why she was doing it. She wanted the sun, a real sun. As real as her imagination would allow. Anything but the same, timeless sky in different seasons.
Sending Damon back had been the right thing to do, but now she was paying the price by spending the rest of her life in this prison world with a boy who wanted to murder his entire family for power. Though, she had to admit the way his father sounded he kind of—no, she would not sympathize with this guy.
When she found a way to make a full illusionment spell without dreaming, Bonnie thought her prayers had been answered. Then Kai had to ruin it by attempting to siphon her powers; it was the only other way to break the spell without her doing so. He wanted it, and she wouldn’t give it to him, so he told her he’d give her one hour every day until she let him join.
If her only solace was going to be an hour of paradise while the other twenty-three were filled with incessant whining, so be it. She would not allow Kai to join her in the sun.
Kai snapped his fingers, breaking her from her thoughts. The action caused Bonnie to scowl at him again. She pushed past him roughly, intending on leaving the boardinghouse.
“I said no, Kai,” Bonnie pressed. “Now leave me be.”
“You can’t run forever, Bonster!” Kai called after her. “You’re spending eternity here with me. You’ll give in at some point.”
Bonnie pushed through the cold winds from the wintery season of the prison world. The chill of the wind didn’t bite her because the real bite hit in the pit of her stomach; she knew he was right.
Bonnie was standing on the boat, her arms folded across her chest as the wind blew at her laced cover-up. The villas and Bora Bora island were right there within a short distance. The sun was setting as it usually did, and she’d take in as much as she could.
A presence was felt behind her, and their breath was hot on her neck. Instead of a rough hand gripping her bicep, soft hands rested on her hips, drawing her closer to the body behind her.
Her breath hitched as a sultry, teasing voice hit her ear in a whisper. “Wouldn’t it be better to finally reach the sand, Bon?”
Bonnie’s eyes shot open, and she sat up with her hand on her chest. She was only dreaming. Damn it, that was worse. She was having dreams with Kai in them in a good light. She couldn’t have that.
“Having good dreams, Bonster?” came his voice next to her.
The witch automatically spelled him across the room. She covered herself in her blanket, not that she was indecent in the first place; Kai couldn’t be trusted at all times.
“What the hell, Kai?” she demanded. “Strict rules included not finding you in the same sleeping space as me.”
Kai rubbed the back of his head, a pained yet cheeky smile on his face. “I couldn’t help myself. Your magic was practically calling me.”
Bonnie rolled her eyes. She didn’t believe that crap. “Whatever. Just like it was calling to use me for the ascendant.”
Kai waved his hand dismissively. “Well, that’s gone now with Damon,” he said, cracking his neck. “Just means I was drawn to your magic to begin with. Ascendant or not.”
The witch refused to believe it. The spirits were some fickle things, but they wouldn’t allow magic to feel a draw between them. It just wouldn’t. Not with his antics and lies. Not with her big heart and sacrifices. Not when in the end, it felt like their goals in life were all for nothing.
She might need to rethink that last one. She’d allowed herself to share a common reality with the guy stalking towards her bed. Wait, he was stalking towards her bed.
Bonnie held a warning hand up, and Kai stopped, raising his hands up like he’d done the day before.
“I want to see the sun, Bonster,” Kai said, his expression serious. “Just once. Please .”
The word ‘never’ was on the tip of her tongue, but something made her stop. The roaring of the winter wind reached her ears, and she saw that it had gotten worse overnight and snow rimmed a fourth of the window next to her. How? She couldn’t fathom a possibility when eyes were staring intently at her.
Saying no would prompt him to ask her more, and making the illusionment would take just as much time and energy as it would to get rid of the snow and Kai. What was more important to her right then? Why did she have to choose? Was magic forsaking her in such a twisted way?
His hand slipped into hers atop her bed, and Bonnie felt a flame igniting in her body. She looked at him sharply, her lips pursed. She started to chant the illusionment spell. She nearly choked and stopped when she felt his lips on her knuckles.
“Show me the sun, Bonnie,” his voice whispered in her ear as Bora Bora and her boat began to form. “And I’ll show you why the magic wants you to be mine .”